Ekiti Panel Indicts Fayemi on mismanaging N25b state fund

-Fayose receives report from panel of inquiry on Kayode Fayemi’s tenure as Ekiti governor.

-The panel says Fayemi must among other things, account for N2.75b and 17 buses.

Fayemi rejects panel report on the financial activities of his tenure as Ekiti state governor.

The commission of inquiry set up by Governor Ayodele Fayose to investigate the financial transactions of Ekiti state under the administration of Mr. Kayode Fayemi who was governor of the state between 2010 and 2014 has submitted its report.

The commission, headed by Justice Silas Oyewole, submitted its report to Governor Fayose on Wednesday.

As part of its report, the commission accussed the Fayemi administration of awarding a N600m contract to a company with no fixed address.

It also submitted that the former governor must account for N2.75 billion allocated for the execution of the construction of Ultra-Modern market in Ado Ekiti which was never executed.

The commission of Inquiry said KITWOOD Nigeria Limited, the contractor who handled the furnishing of the government house built by the Fayemi administration at a cost of N600million had no valid addressas the address used on the letter of award was discovered to be a virgin land.

The contractor was also directed to refund the sum of N324.8 million to government coffers, adding that the contract should not have been more than N280 million.

On the purchase of vehicles, it said “claim by Coscharis Motors that it supplied 235 and/or 250 vehicles was fraudulent and fraught with so many contradictions”.

It stated that Ekiti state does not have any Liaison office in Ibadan, contrary to claims by Coscharis Motors that it supplied seven vehicles at the Ibadan Liaison office of Ekiti State.

Coscharis Motors only supplied 219 vehicles to the Ekiti State Government and that 17 Joylong Buses supplied as gift were later carted away, the panel report claims.

On the controversial N852.9 State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) fund, the commission said it was clear that the Government of Dr Fayemi hoodwinked the federal government into paying its own matching grant by obtaining N852, 936,783.12 loan from Access Bank on November 25, 2013 without perfecting documentation in respect of the loan, thereby flouting the provisions of Section 11(2) of the UBEC Act, 2004.

In his response after receiving the report, Governor Ayo Fayose commended the panel members for been thorough in their report and further called on Ekiti people to always ensure accountablity on the part of their leaders.

“I appreciate the panel members for a thorough job done. The time and energy they put into the job.

“The panel waited for the outcome of the court case instituted by former Governor Kayode Fayemi before it concluded its job because we are ardent believers in the rule of law and if the court had ruled that we should stop, we would have stopped.”

“There is no witch hunting in a situation whereby people are asked to account for their stewardship. I am glad that the Federal Government is also pursuing the policy of accountability and we are following suit here too,” he said.

After receiving the report, Fayose inaugurated A four-man administrative panel, headed by the Ekiti state commissioner for justice, Mr. Kolapo Kolade to study it and come out with a White Paper.

 

In a reaction on Wednesday night, Fayemi, who shunned his invitation to the panel during its inquiries, rejected the report and said he would take his case to the Appeal Court.